5 Easy Steps To Preparing Your Car For Winter

13th Oct, 2017

The autumn always feels like a short season – at least to us here at Scrap Car Network – and it’s never long before it gives way to full blown winter. Before you start getting ready on proper winter driving, it’s always best to make sure your car is ready too! That’s what this week’s blog is about – and remember, if there’s anything too expensive about replacing or repairing it, it might be worth thinking about scrapping your car. Just food for thought! Now, onto our handy tips.

These are main steps to prepare your car for winter:

Ensure your windscreen is clean.

Make sure it’s all OK under the bonnet.

Check your lights are working.

Get a grip on your tyres.

Give your car battery the power.

So then – ready to get the full lowdown?

Check Your Windscreen

Vision is key at all times when driving, and it can be seriously reduced in winter driving conditions. It’s a good plan to give yourself all the edge you can as early as possible by checking the condition of your wiper blades, and replace them if they’re worn or too hardened. The sun is especially low in winter, too, so make sure you’re equipped to deal with late afternoon rays blazing through your windscreen. Don’t forget to make sure the glass is clean, and only use a cleaner intended for car glass (so you get the bare minimum of smearing, if any at all).

Have A Peek Under The Bonnet

Next, you’ll want to make sure everything’s running smoothly under the ‘hood’. Check the level in your coolant reservoir, and top it up as you need to – you’ll be thankful for it later! You’ll need to be changing the coolant once every two to three years, anyway. While you’re at it, make sure you’ve got sufficient anti-freeze, and that it’s doing its job effectively. As its name suggests, it comes in especially handy during winter!

Flash Your Lights

Winter looks lovely on postcards, sure, with fluffy snow and gleaming ice, but let’s be honest, the reality is rain. Lots and lots of rain. Heavy, too. Then there’s mist, fog, snow, longer and darker nights, and even the odd bout of hail or two. There’s not a lot to love about winter weather, and the lights on your car are designed to help you through it. That means you need to keep them in tip-top shape to ensure you can be seen on the road, guaranteeing not only your own safety, but also the safety of those around you.

Give them a quick check to make sure all the bulbs are working, and make sure they’re not covered over with dirt or grime. If you have any problems, they’re reasonably simple to replace yourself – or a garage could do it for you (for a small fee.)

Test Your Tyres

The cold weather is a bit of a nightmare for your tyres; their pressure can drop pretty quickly as the air becomes colder, which can lead to that unwelcome but all-too-familiar rumbling. Check your tyre’s pressures regularly when temperatures start to plummet (including the spare wheel). About once a week is generally enough to do the trick. Remember, the legal minimum for tread depth is 1.6mm. Depending on where you live, you might even find it worth investing in a set of winter tyres. They’re not all that cheap, but if you find yourself frequently getting stuck in the winter, they can end up paying dividends.

Check Your Car Battery

Your car battery has many of the same complaints as your tyres – its capacity noticeably drops in cold weather, as it consumes more energy to struggle against the temperature. So much so, in fact, that flat batteries are the leading cause of winter breakdowns. Make sure the battery levels aren’t corroded, and if it looks like it’s having trouble, replace it in good time. You can make things easier for it in the meantime by not switching on the headlights or heaters until the engine is running. Having some jump leads is always a smart move, too.

Of course, a flat battery might not be the only reason for a breakdown. It could just be that your car has reached the end of its natural life, and it’s time to send it onto greener pastures. (Well, OK, our scrap car dealers are more metallic in décor, actually.) If you need to scrap your car in a hurry, you’ll be pleased to know that here at Scrap Car Network, that’s what we do best.

It’s easy to get it sorted, too. All you need to do is go to our homepage and enter in your car reg and postcode, and you’ll be looking at an instant scrap car quote!